Arnie's 10 Rules on Golf Etiquette

Arnold Palmer's "X Rules for Good Golf Etiquette" with Guy Yocom in the August issue seems to have struck a chord with a lot of readers, Wisconsinites in particular.

Stephanie Rudnicki of Wisconsin Rapids loved it:

__

It was a breathe of fresh air to read... I cannot agree or stress enough how much this means to avid golfers. Knowing how many amateur golfers read this magazine, I only hope they realize how important golf etiquette really is. I have been golfing for over 17 years now but people need to realize that "die hard" golfers take course etiquette as serious as a heart attack. Knowing how to act graciously and respectfully to other golfers in your group or on the course is not only one of the greatest prides in the game, it is part of the game. However if you are just learning how to golf, it is understandable that you may be slower and do not know to repair your marks and take care of your divots as if they were in your front yard of your beautiful family home. This is learned with the game along with all the mechanics, but thanks for giving the amateurs a crash course, and to us "golf nuts" a nice refresher on it. >

__

Jim Wall of Baldwin, Wisconsin, questions one of Arnie's comments, however.

__

In Arnie Palmer's "Rules for Good Golf Etiquette", he states, " we can play a round in under four hours - and that's in fivesomes."

__

Since when is playing in fivesomes good etiquette?  Fivesomes may be allowed at Bay Hill, but I doubt if many public courses put up with them. What does the real book of  golf course etiquette say about fivesomes on a golf course?Â

Â

Our book says play in four hours and you can play with three monkeys and a chimpanzee for all we care. Isn't pace of play the key to the whole thing? Golfers that play quickly (Arnie being a model) seem not to take themselves too seriously, think about things other than their score--such as divots, ball marks, their playing companions--and get over mistakes quickly. The poster children of self-indulgence, on the other hand, are the multi-practice-swing obsessors who nest over shots like they're giving birth and then regale the group with the faults of their "offspring." They often fail to follow the flight of their shots, so stricken are they with its direction. The play slowlyyyyyyyyyyy.

Back when we did our Search for the Worst Avid Golfer, we found Kelly Ireland, one of the four finalists, and a delightful playing companion. Kelly hit a lot of shots, but always quickly and inevitably with a smile. His motto was: "Hit 'em and hunt 'em."

I think Arnie would like that.

--Bob Carney